49: Towed by a Tesla, French Pyrénées & the Rise of Bansko

We discuss touring the Alps in a camper van, going off-grid in Les 3 Vallées, ski jumping in Innsbruck and follow up on the Ice Swimming World Championships in Samoens.    Iain was joined by Katie Bamber - online editor at Fall Line Magazine - and freelance journalist Katja Gaskell.  Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES Katie last skied in Cervinia, Italy (2:30) Al Morgan will be reporting on the SIGB Ski Test in Episode 168 (3:00) Iain reports on snow conditions in Meribel last week (3:30) Iain rented Rossignol Sky 7 skis from Intersport, fitted with touring bindings (4:00) https://twitter.com/skipedia/status/1614563311441395718 Steve Angus reports from Val d'Isère (5:00) Stephen Spiers was skiing at Glencoe Mountain in Scotland (6:20) Jim Duncombe reports from La Clusaz (8:00) The Ice Swimming World Championships took place in Samoens (10:00) https://twitter.com/theskipodcast/status/1616383120063725570 Iain spoke with Team GB competitor Cathy Munro in Episode 166 Katie Bamber toured the Alps in an adapted camper van last winter (18:30) Read Katie’s article in Fall Line Magazine (20:00) Katie previously lived in Sun Valley, Idaho (26:00, 27:20) Iain ski toured to the Refuge du Saut in Meribel (28:45) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwA0XOPDvY Rob Rees reported from the Bergisel Ski Jumping event in Innsbruck (37:30) Feedback I enjoy all feedback about the show, so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  Laura Hargrave: "I've come across your podcast recently and I have to say that I LOVE it."  Dave Mills: "Recent convert, brilliant format and unbelieveable variety of ski, boarding, equipment, sustainability and resort-related subjects; now hooked for life!" There are over 160 episodes to catch up with and 141 were listened to in the last week. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast. Thank you to Les 3 Vallées - the world's largest ski area - for sponsoring the show.

20 Jan 202345min

We discuss skiing in Iraq and Afghanistan with Ashley Hartz and James Willcox from Untamed Borders, as well as ice swimming in Samoens with Cathy Munro.   The Ski Podcast is sponsored by Les 3 Vallées - the largest ski area in the world Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES James was last on the podcast in March 2021 when we discussed skiing in Afghanistan Ashley is based in Snoqualmie in Washington State, USA Patrick Thorne is the author of ’Around the World in 50 Pistes’ and was on the podcast in Episode 162 (3:45) Alex Irwin from 150 Days of Winter reported from Courchevel, France (5:30) Dave Burrows from SnowPros Ski School reported from Courmayeur and Pila in the Aosta Valley, Italy (6:30) Keith Webb reported from Badhofgastein in Austria (10:00) Gethin James reported from Cairngorm Mountain in Scotland (11:44) Gethin joined us for Episode 162 to tell us about skiing in Solden  Find out about the new Rannoch chairlift at Glencoe Mountain  Ashley tells us about skiing in Iraq (13:15)  The Hamilton Road links Iraq and Iran (15:15) Korek ski resort in Iraq has 200m of groomed pistes (16:30) Find out about Free to Run (23:00) The 6th Choman Winter Festival took place in 2022 (24:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiD8ckLY054 The Iraq Ski Rally was set up by Untamed Winters (26:30) Check the latest FCO advice on Iraq (29:45) Untamed Borders helped with the logistics for Michael Palin’s programme ‘Into Iraq’ recorded for Channel 5 (30:00) Try Battleface travel insurance for cover in destinations like Iraq (30:30) Listen to our special episode about skiing in Afghanistan (33:00) Read about the Afghan Sports Trust (35:00) The World Ice Swimming Championships are taking place in Samoens in January 2022 (40:00) You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast on social media

6 Jan 202349min

We discuss skiing in destinations as diverse as Orelle, Madesimo and Uzbekistan, find out about the new sports centre in Val Thorens, plus we have snow reports from across Europe and some words from a World Champion.   Iain was joined by Sophie Ibbotson and regular guest, Mike Richards. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Episode 165 4:30 Snow Reports 10:00 Les Gets smoking ban 12:15 Orelle 17:00 Val Thorens 24:00 Uzbekistan 35:00 Madesimo 41:30 Team GB 42:50 Alexis Pinterault 46:00 Ski Touring 49:30 Skiing in Wales   SHOW NOTES Both Mike and Sophie were on ‘The Ski Podcast Live’ panel at the National Snow Show in Birmingham In Episode 90 Mike told us about skiing in Turkey (2:00) The Ski Podcast is sponsored by L3V - the largest ski area in the world Charles Leocha in the book 'Ski Europe describes it: 'On paper, the area is overwhelming, in person it's mind expanding' (3:00) Andy Butterworth of Kaluma Ski reported from St Anton (4:30) Robin Shah is in Verbier (7:14) Alex Armand from Tip Top Ski Coaching is in Les 2 Alpes (9:20) Les Gets smoking ban: A territory without butts (10:00) Iain visited Orelle, travelling by train (12:15) The new Orelle-Cime gondola opened in December 2021 (15:00) Iain travelled as a pedestrian from Orelle to Val Thorens (17:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImfJK9dPG0o Iain visited the new sports centre in Val Thorens, ‘Le Board’ (18:00) Eric Blancot is the commercial director at the Val Thorens Tourist Office https://twitter.com/skipedia/status/1604430159637106688 Amirsoy is the new ski resort in Uzbekistan (24:00) Ubekistan has five UNESCO world heritage sites (31:15) Laurent Vanat produces the International Report on Snow and Mountain Tourism (33:15) This excellent article on Uzbekistan by Tristan Kennedy appeared in Snow Magazine Felix Milns told us about parachuting above the Eiger in Episode 98 (34:15) You can find out more about Madesimo in this article from Fall Line (35:00) This is the official Madesimo website (39:00) Double podium for Charlotte Bankes in back-to-back Cervinia World Cups (41:30) Andrew Musgrave took his second World Cup podium  Andrews Musgrave and Young appeared in this special episode of the podcast) (42:00) Makayla Gerken Schofield’s 6th in Idre Fjall, Sweden was her best ever result Kirsty Muir took 5th in the Copper Mountain Ski Big Air World Cup Alexis Pinterault is the most successful French ski racer of all time (42:50) Listen to the full interview with Alexis here  The Alpine Ski World Championships take place in Courchevel and Meribel from 06-19 February (46:00) You can listen to how Al and Iain decided on Atomic Prime Hawx ski boots in Episode 163 (46:45) Iain’s skis from Intersport Ski Hire were Atomic Backland 86s – great skis! (47:00) Listen to Mike talking about skiing in Wales (49:30)  Feedback Dom Winter (POW): “Thanks for making this great episode [about sustainability]“ Miranda Walsh (YT): “Thanks for posting this interview [with Alexis Pinterault]. It's a great listen” Paul Bond (YT): “Great chat” Christian (email): “Thanks for being such a great source of ski info!” Rob (email): “I’m enjoying all your new podcasts”   If you enjoy the show, there's two things you can do to help: 1) Give us a review. You might hear this on other podcasts, but it genuinely does helps others find us  2) you're always welcome to BMAC at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast. The podcast is a passion project for me, every episode takes 5-6 hours of my time, but I love it, so if you fancy buying me a coffee that would be lovely.   You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

23 Dec 202250min

Iain speaks with Alexis Pinterault – the most successful French ski racer of all time.  Alexis made his World Cup debut at 17 and has since won 34 World Cup races. He has represented France at six World Championships and three Winter Olympics (winning two Bronze medals).  Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. - Alexis finished 5th in the Slalom in Val d'Isere (1:30) - The Courchevel-Meribel World Ski Championships take place from 06-19 February 2023 (2:20) - His first turns were on the Pralong slope in Courchevel (4:30) - Pinterault was World Junior Champion in 2009 (6:00) - Alexis won the overall 'Crystal Globe' in 2021 (7:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK9IPvfi6TY - ‘Winter Legacy’ takes place in Courchevel on 07-08 April (9:00) - Alexis’ book ‘From Gold to Crystal’ is currently only available in French, German and Italian (14:30)

17 Dec 202216min

Iain has his ski boots fitted at Profeet, we discuss how to protect your skin when skiing and look at La Plagne glacier lift changes. Iain was joined by Jen Tsang from La Plagne and regular guest and equipment expert Al Morgan from SkiKitInfo.com and down the line by Michelle Baker from Melanoma Fund and Tim Fawke from Snowsport England. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout.   SHOW NOTES Jen last appeared on the snow in Episode 99 Al skied in Obertauern in Austria The Ski Podcast is sponsored by Les 3 Vallées - the largest ski area in the world Patrick Thorne is author of 'Around the World in 50 Pistes' and appeared on the show in Episode 162  Les 3 Vallées once had 220 lifts, but now it’s only 160 – as they are bigger and faster, with an uplift capacity of 300,000 skiers/snowboarders per hour Chris Moran from Intersport Ski Hire reported from the opening weekend in Courchevel (3:40) Dave Burrows from SnowPros Ski School was in Cervinia, Italy (5:30) Keith Webb reported from Kaprun, Austria (7:10) Betony Garner was skiing in Courmayeur, Italy (9:20) Michelle Baker is the CEO of the Melanoma Fund about their new snowsports campaign (10:15) Tim Fawke is the CEO of Snowsport England La Plagne are making changes to the Bellecote glacier (18:20) Find out about the Flocon Vert accreditation from Mountain Riders (22:40) Six more resorts were awarded the Flocon Vert last month (23:15) After a lot of discussion with Al, Iain chose the Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 130 CT GW for his new boots (24:45) Al explains about GripWalk soles in ski boots (26:50) Iain went to Profeet in Fulham to have his new boots fitted and custom insoles made (28:00) Master bootfitter Sam Jones looked after Iain (29:30) Sam also fitted the Carv device, which Iain will be testing in Val Thorens later this month (36:30) The choice of sock material (merino, silk, manmade) depends on individual physiology and budget (38:30)    Feedback Please send your feedback about the show to us on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com Thanks to all our following at Snowheads and your comments about our Ski Boot Special (Episode 161) MikePow: "Great episode. Essential listening" boredsurfin: "Excellent episode" BobinCH: "Colin is hilarious and super knowledgeable" Layne: "Another great episode - keep up the good work" Miranda Slater contacted us via Facebook: "I'm a great fan of your Podcast and love to  listen when you drop new episodes. Thanks for all your insightful interviews."   Don’t forget that there are over 160 episodes to catch up with. 153 of these were listened to in the last week (only the PyeongChang Winter Olympic specials missed out).    If you enjoy the show, there's two things you can do to help:    1) Give us a review on Apple Podcasts  2) Buy me a Coffee at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast    You can follow me@skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

9 Dec 202248min

We find out about skiing in Ukraine, trains to the Pyrénées and travel ‘Around the World in 50 Slopes’.   Iain is joined by UK ski journalist, Patrick Thorne, Sian Grigg from Pyrenean Odysseys and Jem Rose from PowderMad. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES Patrick was in Val Thorens for ‘La Grand Derniere’ Sian skied in Grand Tourmalet We featured skiing in Georgia in Episode 37 of The Ski Podcast The Ski Podcast is sponsored by Les 3 Vallees - the largest ski area in the world Val Thorens is celebrating its 50th anniversary this winter Alex Irwin from ‘150 Days of Winter’ reported from VT on their opening weekend Snow Factor in Glasgow has closed 'Around the World in 50 Slopes' is the new book from Patrick Thorne Svalbard featured in Episode 94 of The Ski Podcast Jem’s group were in Dragobrat in Ukraine Find out about the charity War Child here You can buy Powermad’s ski socks here Pyrenean Odysseys is based in Luz St Sauveur The Paris-Lourdes night train is one of only two serving ski resorts in France Episode 160 was a sustainability special Iain travelled with his family to Cauterets to prove a half-term ski trip on a budget is possible Read Iain’s article for ‘The Independent’ about train travel to ski resorts Find out more about Intersport Ski Hire here James Gambrill is General Manager of The Ski Club of Great Britain We spoke to James in Episode 75 just after he'd taken over as GM FEEDBACK   Sean Lally: "Love the pod" Richard Salden: "Enjoying the podcast & the wide range of topics and opinions" Andy Thain: "Keep up the good work" There are over 160 episodes to catch up with and amazingly 127 of them were listened to in the last week.  I'd love to hear where you listen to the podcast - commuting, in the gym, or at work. Andrea Dalton will be listening "on my dog walk in the morning". I enjoy all feedback about the show, so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com If you enjoy the show, why not review us as it helps other people find us. Apple Podcasts is best - if you leave a comment we'll read it out on the next episode. You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

28 Nov 202251min

A Ski Boot Special: we look at types of ski boot; how to choose a ski boot; whether you should have them fitted or moulded; plus some of the gadgets that work with them.   Iain was joined by the ski boot experts Colin Martin from Solutions4Feet and regular equipment expert Al Morgan from SkiKitInfo.com. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES Colin skied at Kuhtai on the SIGB Ski Test  Listen to Al talking about the Ski Test in Episode 91  TSP is sponsored by Les 3 Vallées - the largest ski area in the world  Val Thorens is celebrating its 50th anniversary this winter You can now book holidays to Les 3 Vallées directly via their their website  World Cup races in Solden and Zermatt were cancelled  Mia Brookes took 9th and Kirsty Muir 7th in the Big Air in Chur  Listen to our interview with Mia Brookes in Episode 158 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RMQJmpiBnhw Robin Shah reported on his first turns in Verbier, which as he predicted opened last weekend https://twitter.com/skipedia/status/1590343660310495233 Dave Burrows from Snow Pros Ski School reported from Glacier 3000  The Warren Miller film tour ‘Daymaker’ starts later this month  Iain is hosting the Brighton screening on Friday 02 December https://twitter.com/theskipodcast/status/1585952522459648001  Love this quote: “Like a wand in Harry Potter, the ski boot chooses your foot” Touring boots cost more because a patent has to be paid to Dynastar every time Iain had his custom insoles created for him at Profeet  Go for thin ski socks, recommended brands include Falke, Teko and Smartwool  Don’t buy your ski boots on the basis of colour: “They’re tools not jewels”  Iain spoke to Professor Henrik Bjursten about his new VPECS innovation The Carv device fits into your ski boot and gives feedback on your ski technique, visually via the app or in audio via Bluetooth Ted Ligety is their new ambassador (and can give you ski advice!) Feedback  Please send us your feedback on social @theskipodcast or email theskipodcast@gmail.com Chris Exall:  “Hope you don't mind a minor correction [re Episode 101]. Though they were often referred to as ‘parablocks’, but in fact they were called ‘parablacks’. The reason was that the inventor was called Gunther Schwartz. They were partly to stop skiers crossing 'the sharp ends' but they were widely used in World Cup speed events because they had the effect of dampening the ski and filtering out vibration. Marker developed their own version which had a weight suspended by springs, it was intended as a more active 'suspension' for ski racers, though the thing weighed a ton. The earliest ones were simply plastic boxes but the last version was a spring loaded coat hanger wire affair which stopped your tips crossing but folded flat if you tried to uncross them”   BobinCH (snowheads): "Gethin on Solden in October [Episode 159] was an interesting listen" Richard_Sideways (snowheads): "Nice podcast as usual" Elements.biz: "Super interesting conversations [in Episode 160]. Thanks for the ongoing sustainability focus" Gareth Harvey: "Thanks for the snowboard episode" Judy Mathews: "Really enjoying your podcast. I have only just come across it recently & wish I did some time ago, but I have plenty to catch up on when driving or running." As Judy says there are over 160 episodes to catch up with. We'd love to hear how you listen to the podcast - commuting, in the gym, or at work. If you enjoy the show, why not review us as it helps other people find us. We have 88 reviews on Apple Podcasts, 74 are 5-star reviews - and if you leave a comment we'll read it out on the next episode. You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

14 Nov 20221h 1min

Iain was joined by Prue Stone (Hotelplan), Ceri Tinley (Consensio Chalets) and Al Judge (AliKats Mountain Holidays) - three ski companies all taking sustainability seriously by making significant changes to their operations and product. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES Iain set up the lobbying campaign Ski Flight Free in 2019 (00:30) COP27 brings together world leaders to discuss and hopefully take action on climate change (01:00) Prue Stone is Sustainability Director at Hotelplan, which includes Inghams Ski (01:45) Listen to our interview with Joe Ponte CEO at Hotelplan, recorded in February 2021 (02:30) Find out more about train travel to the Alps at Ski Flight Free (05:45) Hotelplan’s goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 (06:30) Rachael from ecoski.co.uk appeared on Episode 57 of The Ski Podcast (09:45) You can watch our session ‘The Ski Podcast Live – ‘Off The Beaten Track’ recorded at the National Snow Show in Birmingham on YouTube (12:15) Ceri Tinley is the founder and MD at Consensio Chalets (14:45) You can read Consensio’s ‘Luxury Ski Insights Report’ here  Find out more about Protect Our Winters UK (16:45) Ecollective helps travel brands calculate and subsequently reduce their carbon footprint (17:00) Consensio’s goal is to reach Net Zero by 2035 (20:00) Coolbus have invested in new Mercedes Electric Minibuses for this winter (20:30) Snowdrone also offer transfers using electric vehicles (25:30) Al Judge is the owner of AliKats Mountains Holidays in Morzine (28:45) Find out about the Montagne Verte organisation in Morzine (29:15) Find out about bokashi composting (30:00) Listen to our special episode on Electric Vehicles in ski resorts (31:30) You can find out more about their sustainability policies on their website (32:00)  A hot tub uses 1500 lt of water & 200 kWh of electricity p/w to keep water at 37.5C in winter (34:30) Find out about their ‘Responsible Hot Tub Initiative’ here (35:30) AliKats use the Good Planet Foundation for any offsets they require (36:30)  Listen to our special episode when Iain interviewed Helen Coffey, the flight free travel journalist (37:30)

31 Okt 202240min